Outsourcing navigator workshop now available as online training and certification program

TFI releases web version of the acclaimed methodology and toolset for calculating total cost of outsourcing global electronics manufacturing

Technology Forecasters Inc. (TFI) announces a web-based version of Charlie Barnhart's Outsourcing Navigator program to complement and extend the value of the live workshop. The online program will be demonstrated this week for attendees at the Outsourcing Navigator Workshop in Chicago.

The Outsourcing Navigator Series (ONS) is an advanced toolset & methodology for industry professionals created and taught by TFI Senior Consultant Charlie Barnhart. Prior to the creation of the ONS, the information contained in these toolsets and methodologies was available only by participating in one of TFI's live Global Pricing Workshops (GPW). With the release of the ONS, all Global Pricing Workshop information becomes available on-demand, via a web-based learning system. The ONS includes a professional certification and a comprehensive online support infrastructure provided exclusively for Outsourcing Navigators and the ONS community.

The ONS contains three original methodologies, derived from industry research and case-study data.
-- Global Pricing Methodology (GPM)
-- Total Cost of Ownership Module (TCO)
-- Global Outsourcing Tool (GO Tool)

The website includes video of a recent live workshop, divided into training modules and indexed for easy reference; an easy-to-use data section with frequently updated printable tables and charts; a review and testing section; and a contact form for communicating directly with the author of the program. In addition, certified Navigators will be listed on the website, allowing OEMs and Contract Manufacturers to easily find companies who use this methodology in their quoting process.

"Because the data I collect changes so quickly, people that attend my workshop immediately realize that they need a way to stay current on the calculations I'm doing for the industry" explained Barnhart. "The Global Outsourcing landscape shifts almost weekly in terms of labor rates, geographical risk factors, logistics prices, and so on. It has been very difficult up to this point to respond individually to all my clients who want updates. Now with the web-based version, there is one place to go to automatically get the new data without having to wait for a live workshop. In addition, those who are unfamiliar with the underlying methodology can view the training videos to learn how to use the data."

"TFI is offering this web-based version of Charlie's important research to the industry as a way to help bring needed objectivity to a process that is fraught with uncertainty and second-guessing," TFI's Vice President of Consulting and Research Bruce Rayner told the audience in Chicago. "As Charlie says, it's time to get rid of the 'chaff' and start using real data to inform global electronics manufacturing sourcing decisions. We believe this online service will be a significant tool in that process."

For more information, including pricing details and an introductory video interview with Charlie Barnhart, please go to www.techforecasters.com/consulting/outsourcing, or call Cheryl Lund at 1-952- 303-3001.